#134 - Romans 9 with Dr. Mike Bird

Jen Wilkin, JT English, and Kyle Worley are back to discuss the book of Romans! They are joined by Dr. Mike Bird to take a look at Romans 9 and the study of Paul.

Questions Covered in This Episode:

• Before we jump into Romans 9: How did we get here? What’s the flow and argument of the letter so far?
• How does the audience of this letter shape the way we read Romans 9?
• What is the argument of chapter 9?
• Romans 9:6-7 appears to be distinguishing between two kinds of Israel? Is that correct?
• Is Paul trying to make the argument that the promises of God to Israel are not for all of ethnic Israel and are only for the children of the promise?
• What are people's working assumptions of Israel in the Bible?
• Is there a more pressing question for Paul? Is God faithful (V. 6)?
• The most incendiary section of this chapter to modern readers is Romans 9:13-18. How does Paul build the tension in his argument? How does he relieve it?
• Why would you encourage someone to read Romans 9? 
• If you just had to steer people away from the biggest misunderstanding, in your view, of Romans 9: How would you caution them?
• Study of Paul: What do you see right now as some of the most interesting questions that are being asked in Pauline scholarship?
• Complementarianism: Why do you care about the issue of women in the church?

Helpful Definitions:

• Israel: The name for the sacred people in the Jewish sacred history.
• Ethnic Israel: Those who are genetically, biologically, or familially part of the people of God.
• Israel according to the promise: A subtype within ethnic Israel. The ones God has used for his various purposes and who his plans have centered on.
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Guest Bio:

Dr. Mike Bird is the academic dean and a lecturer in theology at Ridley College in Australia. He describes himself as a “biblical theologian” who seeks to bring together biblical studies and systematic theology. He is the author of 30 books including but not limited to: The Story of God Commentary on Romans, An Anomalous Jew: Paul among Jews, Greeks and Romans, Introducing Paul: The Man, His Mission and His Message, and the New Testament in its World: An Introduction to the History, Literature, and Theology of the First Christians (which he co-authored with NT Wright). You can also find him on Twitter @mbird12.

Resources Mentioned in This Episode:

• Romans 9, Romans 8:37-39, Roman 10-11, Romans 16
• “Some Christians See a ‘Road Map’ to End Times” by Darrell Brock
• Knowing Faith Romans Episodes
• Romans Resources

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